Emergency information terminal and emergency information system including terminal

• US 7,088,225 B2
• Filed: 11/21/2005
• Issued: 08/08/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 08/04/2000
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Matsushita Electric Industrial Company Limited (Panasonic Holdings Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Matsushita Electric Industrial Company Limited (Panasonic Holdings Corporation)
• Inventors: Yoshioka, Kenji
• Primary Examiner(s): Nguyen, Hung
• Application Number:
  US11/284,245
• Publication Number:
  US 20060071804A1
• Time in Patent Office: 260 Days
• Field of Search: 340/428, 340/539.1, 340/506, 340/508, 340/636.1, 340/635, 340/438, 340/426.1, 340/825.69, 340/825.72, 340/901, 340/990, 455/333, 455/456
• US Class Current: 340/428
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 25/016 Personal emergency signalling and security systems emergency non-personal manually actuated alarm activators G08B25/12
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/205 Indicating the location of the monitored vehicles as destination, e.g. accidents, stolen, rental

Abstract

An emergency information terminal includes two power supply circuits supplying power to the internal circuits including a controller. If one of the power supply circuits fails, the other power supply circuit supply power, and the operation of the terminal is maintained. Even in case of emergency such as traffic accident or sickness, an emergency call can be notified. Further, the controller detects a trouble in the power supply circuit, and informs the user of the trouble.

Claims

1. An emergency information terminal mounted in a vehicle having a main battery, said emergency information terminal being capable of connecting an external device, for executing an emergency call notifying process to a center supervising an emergency information system, said emergency information terminal comprising:

first and second power supply circuits for supplying power, said first power supply circuit and said second power supply circuit are coupled to said main battery in parallel;

a sub controller operable to control communications with said external device; and

a main controller operable to control other than the communications with said external device,

wherein said first power supply circuit supplies power to said main controller and sub controller, and

wherein said second power supply circuit supplies power to said main controller and sub controller when said main controller detects abnormality of said first power supply circuit.

2. The emergency information terminal of claim 1, further comprising an auxiliary battery,

wherein said main battery usually supplies power to said first and second power supply circuits,

wherein said main controller and sub controller are operable to monitor each other,

wherein said main controller is operable to monitor an output voltage of said main battery, and

wherein said auxiliary battery supplies power to said first and second power supply circuits when said main controller detects abnormality in the output voltage of said main battery.

3. The emergency information terminal of claim 2, wherein said main controller is operable to inform a user that said auxiliary battery supplies power to said first and second power supply circuits by controlling an indicator to light or flicker.

4. The emergency information terminal of claim 2,

wherein said main controller and sub controller are operable to communicate each other, and

wherein said sub controller is operable to detect abnormality in said main controller when failing to communicate with said main controller, and to inform a user of the abnormality by controlling an indicator to light or flicker.

5. The emergency information terminal of claim 2,

wherein said main controller and sub controller are operable to communicate each other, and

wherein said main controller is operable to detect abnormality in said sub controller when failing to communicate with said sub controller, and to inform a user of the abnormality by controlling an indicator to light or flicker.

6. An emergency information system comprising:

an emergency information terminal mounted in a vehicle having a main battery, said emergency information terminal including;

a first power supply circuit coupled to said main battery for supplying power;

a second power supply circuit coupled to said main battery for supplying power; and

an emergency information center for receiving an emergency call signal from said emergency information terminal;

wherein said first power supply circuit and said second power supply circuit are coupled to said main battery in parallel.

7. An emergency information terminal mounted in a vehicle having a main battery, for executing an emergency call notifying process to a center supervising a emergency information system, said emergency information terminal comprising:

a first power supply circuit coupled to said main battery for supplying power;

an auxiliary battery; and

a second power supply circuit coupled to said auxiliary battery for supplying power, said second power supply circuit being separate from said first power supply circuit.

8. The emergency information terminal of claim 7,

wherein said first power supply circuit usually supplies power, and

wherein said second power supply circuit supplies power if power supply from said main battery is interrupted.

9. An emergency information system comprising:

an emergency information terminal mounted in a vehicle having a main battery, including

a first power supply circuit coupled to said main battery for supplying power;

an auxiliary battery; and

a second power supply circuit coupled to said auxiliary battery for supplying power, said second power supply circuit being separate from said first power supply circuit; and

an emergency information center for receiving an emergency call signal from said emergency information terminal.